Refreshed BMW Z4 is here

After a lull during the last few months, the slightly upgraded Z4 returns to BMW showrooms with a slightly upgraded price.

The MY2013 car was unveiled at Bavaria Motors, Pune, which is an interesting location, considering BMW is trying to push its cars in Tier-2 cities. The new Z4 gets a slightly different face with new LED corona headlamps which have sharpened the looks. The major change is to the interior, which stays driver-centric, but sports a slightly different look and feel than other BMWs. Additionally, the motorised hardtop can now be operated with a button on the go.

On offer is only the sDrive35i, which is the top-of-the-line engine variant globally. Under the long hood is a 3-litre, 305bhp straight-six petrol engine with two turbos. The agile new Z4 can sprint from 0-100kph in 5.1 seconds, and go on to achieve a top speed of 250kph.

The new Z4 starts at Rs 69 lakh (ex-showroom, India), which would take the price close to Rs 80 lakh on-road. Also on offer is a special colour/interior package called Design Pure Traction (DPT). This is available in the special 'valencia' orange colour that costs approximately a lakh more.

The Z4 is up against some serious competition in the two-seater sportscar segment. Starting from the new Audi TT to the Nissan 370Z and Porsche Boxster. In India, the segment is pretty small, so the rivalry is intense. Cleverly, the Z4 is a pretty good drive, one of the best-looking cars in the BMW fleet and is priced reasonably well. More importantly, it stays true to the 'Roadster' tag. Enough to come up in the list of contenders whenever there is a discussion to buy a proper convertible.